Hawthorne Diner

March 9, 2019September 17, 2019 Hollie

Hawthorne Diner (Hawthorne, NJ)

While driving back from New York, we stopped at one more diner. The Hawthorne Diner wasn’t the original plan, but we ran into a lot more traffic than anticipated, so we decided to stop earlier.

Hawthorne Diner Atmosphere: A
The Hawthorne Diner is located at an intersection. At one time it was called the “Triangle Diner” because (I assume) the end does look like a triangle. The inside is small but has plenty of booths as well as a bar. There were a few tables in the back but more booths than anything.

Hawthorne Diner Coffee: A
The coffee at the Hawthorne Diner was brewed hot and fresh with plenty of whipped cream. It was good.

Hawthorne Diner Food: B
The Hawthorne Diner menu has everything you want or need in a diner. There are plenty of breakfast choices, as well as wraps, sandwiches, and dinner options.

I was hungry, so I decided to order the pikilia house platter to start. It was massive and came with grape leaves, hummus, tomatoes, cucumbers, pita bread, tzatziki sauce, olives, and hummus. Everything tasted good, and I liked the hummus a lot. I also appreciated how many olives there were. Olives are one of my favorite foods. It was nothing extraordinary but everything tasted good.

I was in the Greek mood and decided to order a gyro which came with french fries. The gyro was massive, in fact maybe the biggest gyro I’ve had. In all, good.

Hawthorne Diner Service: A
Our waitress was friendly and funny. She was one of the best waitresses I’ve had in a while. Our food came out quickly, and I have no complaints. We were in and out in no more than 45 minutes.

Cost: $
For my gyro, appetizer, and coffee the cost was $25.

Overall Thoughts/Would I Come Back of the Hawthorne Diner?
I liked the Hawthorne Diner, and it’s a nice diner to stop. I would go back.

Atmosphere: A
Coffee: A
Food: B
Service: A
Cost: $8-15
Overall: A

You Can See All 233 Diner Reviews Here.

Questions for you:
Do you like gyros?
What is your favorite appetizer?

Halfmoon Diner (Clifton Park, NY)

March 3, 2019September 17, 2019 Hollie

Halfmoon Diner (Clifton Park, NY)

While in New York, I wanted to go to a new diner. New York State, has plenty of diners throughout the state and I’ve been to a fair share from Long Island to the City, Albany, Syracuse, the North Country, and Buffalo. It’s funny; when I went to college in Upstate NY, I spent the least amount of time in Albany. Since moving away, I’ve spent more time in Albany than the rest of the area.

When we arrived at the Halfmoon Diner, it wasn’t crowded, but when we left, it was clear it was the place to be.

Halfmoon Diner Atmosphere: A
The Halfmoon Diner is everything you expect in a stereotypical diner. It’s a big shiny, metallic, building, with plenty of mirrors, and windows.

The inside of the Halfmoon Diner has plenty of booths, tables, a full-length bar, and a good looking dessert case.

Halfmoon Diner Coffee (and Wine!):
The coffee at the Halfmoon Diner was brewed hot and fresh. The waitress brought plenty of refills.

My meal at the Halfmoon Diner came with a small glass of wine. I choose red, and it was delicious. It was the first diner meal I’ve had that has come with wine, so that was fun.

Halfmoon Diner Food: C
The Halfmoon Diner menu has plenty of specials. From breakfast, lunch, and dinner, there is everything you want in a diner and with plenty of specials. I decided to order the “leg of lamb” special. It came with A LOT of food. Soup, salad, wine, and two sides. On paper, that sounds awesome.

I decided to order the beet salad which was an extra $3 but was worth it. The beets on top were great, but the lettuce was watery and had no green to it.

For my soup at the Halfmoon Diner, I chose the Manhatten clam chowder. This was one of my more favorite parts of the meal. There was plenty of clams and the red sauce was good.

My roast leg of lamb was drowning in brown gravy. It was dry and didn’t taste fresh. To me, it felt as though the meal was taken from a bunch of frozen food, reheated and brought out. I expected a leg of lamb; it was a few slices of lamb underneath brown gravy.

My two sides, broccoli and french fries were both frozen and reheated. The broccoli was good, but the crinkle fries at the Halfmoon Diner were bland, and I was too full to finish them.

In all, the food at the Halfmoon Diner was decent and right down the middle. It was nothing interesting or fancy but edible.

Halfmoon Diner Service: A
The waitress at the Halfmoon Diner was one of the best waitresses I’ve had at a diner. Our food came out fast, she gave recommendations for good options, and she was friendly. She made the visit worth it.

Halfmoon Diner Cost: $
For all of my food, plus the extra $3 for the salad, it was only $18.

Overall Thoughts/Would I Come Back of the Halfmoon Diner?
The Halfmoon Diner was good. The food was boring, but there was plenty of food. It’s a stereotypical diner and a decent stop in the greater Albany area.

Atmosphere: A
Coffee/Wine: A
Food: B
Service: A
Cost: $8-$15
Overall: B

You Can See All Diner Reviews Here.

Questions for you:
What is your favorite type of wine?
Do you like lamb?

Diners

Golden Palace Diner (Millville)

February 16, 2019September 17, 2019 Hollie

Golden Palace Diner (Millville, NJ)

Last week, I went to the Golden Palace Diner in Millville, NJ. It’s one of the few diners I haven’t been too in super south Jersey. In fact, it might be the last one I needed to go too in Cumberland County. Anyway, I arrived around dinner time, and it wasn’t too crowded.

Golden Palace Diner Atmosphere: A
The Golden Palace Diner is a clean and modern diner. There are plenty of booths and tables. There is a full-length bar as well as a large dessert case too. It’s as much as a stereotypical NJ diner as you can get.

Golden Palace Diner Coffee: B
The coffee was given in a tiny mug. It was good coffee, but I felt like I finished a cup in one small sip. The waitress gave refills, but I hate when restaurants give tiny cups for both water or coffee. Give a regular size cup, not 4 ounces.

Golden Palace Diner Food: A
The Golden Palace Diner menu has everything a typical NJ diner would have. There is all day breakfast, lunch, and plenty of dinner options too. I noticed the “salmon sizzler,” which intrigued me. The dinner meals came with a breadbasket. I must admit, it was one of the better bread baskets I’ve had!

I’ve never seen a salmon sizzler anywhere. I’ve seen poultry and beef sizzler but never seafood. I decided to order it.

When it came out, it was hot and sizzling. There were mixed vegetables on top of two filets of salmon. It was a lot of food. It was cooked well, and I enjoyed the meal.

Golden Palace Diner Service: A
The waitress was friendly and refilled our beverages often. The food came out quickly, and I have no complaints.

Golden Palace Diner Cost: $
For my sizzling salmon and coffee, it was $19.

Overall Thoughts/Would I Come back to the Golden Palace Diner?
I liked the Golde Palace Diner, and it’s one of my more favorite diners in the area. The Golden Palace Diner is an excellent stop if you’re coming home from the shore.

Atmosphere: A
Coffee: B
Food: A
Service: A
Cost: $10-20
Golden Palace Diner Overall: A

You Can See All 230 Diner Reviews Here.

Questions for you:
Have you tried a sizzling meal?
What is your favorite type of fish?

Diners

Bridgeport Flyer Diner (Milford, CT)

August 5, 2018September 16, 2019 Hollie

Bridgeport Flyer Diner (Milford)

Over the last few months, I’ve been to Connecticut far more than ever! That includes going to a couple of new diners too! Recently I was in the Bridgeport and Milford area and decided to stop at the Bridgeport Flyer Diner. I was hungry, and it was close.

Bridgeport Flyer Diner Atmosphere: A
When I arrived at the Bridgeport Flyer Diner around dinner time, it wasn’t too crowded. The outside is that of many diners. It’s modern but clean. There is nothing unusual or that stands out, minus the sign that says “busses welcome.”

When I went in, the waitress motioned to sit anywhere I pleased, and I got a fun locals vibe from it. I chose a booth since they are my preference.

Bridgeport Flyer Diner Coffee: B
There was nothing unique or unusual about the coffee, but it was good. The waitress refilled it a few times.

Bridgeport Flyer Diner Food: A
The Bridgeport Flyer Diner menu has many options whether you want all-day breakfast, lunch, or dinner. There were morning classics like eggs served with meat, bacon, ham, sausage, turkey and of course served your choice of home fries, grits or fruit. There was almost a full page of specials which caught my eye. I decided to order the prime rib, which came with salad, vegetable, and dessert.

Since I was hungry, I also ordered the Mezze platter, which was a Mediterranian platter with chicken, gyro, olives, tomatoes, salad, hummus, pita bread, and feta. In short, I ordered way too much food but had no regrets. Very few mezze platters include chicken and gyro, so it was a nice treat. The appetizer itself was great, and so much food. It could easily be a meal for someone.

My prime rib was cooked perfectly. I couldn’t have asked for better prime rib and was a thick cut, cooked medium-rare. I was pleased. I chose French fries and carrots for my sides but was full of the fries.

Bridgeport Flyer Diner Dessert: B
Since my meal came with dessert, I ordered the bread pudding. It was decent bread pudding, not my favorite but not my least. It was good, and I would order it again.

Bridgeport Flyer Diner Service: A
The waitress was one of the most friendly of any diner waitress I’ve had. She was friendly, attentive, and seemed to know every local that stopped by.

Bridgeport Flyer Diner Cost: $
For my prime rib, coffee, and mezze platter, it was about $35. The meal at Bridgeport Flyer Diner was enough for three people.

Overall Thoughts/Would I Come back to the Bridgeport Flyer Diner:
I liked the Bridgeport Flyer Diner, and I would go back if the opportunity presents itself.

Atmosphere: A
Coffee: B
Food: A
Dessert: B
Service: A
Cost: $10-20

Bridgeport Flyer Diner Overall: A

You can see all diner reviews here,

Questions for you:

Do you like prime rib?

Are you a local anywhere?

Food, Sponsored

Meal Planning for Two

March 9, 2018November 7, 2018 Hollie

Recently, my husband came home from another deployment. Since living in New Jersey, it is either 6 or 7, but I can’t remember. Homecomings are always great, and since then we’ve had an incredible time together.

Getting back into a routine (for both of us), takes a couple of weeks. It’s a bit of challenge going from one person to two again in the house. Things like making dinner for two or meal ideas change. With my husband’s short but frequent deployments, I never quite get into a routine of making dinner for one or two. We’ve learned to cook more together and you can see more from culinary lab.

Recently, I discovered Frelii which is a monthly subscription service that provides a customized exercise and dietary plan based on your personal needs. This post is sponsored by Frelii, but all thoughts, and opinions are my own.

What is Frelii?

Frelii is a preventative medicine is designed to give the best options for a healthier lifestyle. Preventative means it’s not meant to diagnose a health condition or concern. It does not take the place of a doctor or medical professional.

Like with running shoes, every person is unique and different from one another. Frelii aims to provide people with the knowledge, recipes, and even products to leave healthier lives.

For many people that is losing weight or even gaining weight. For my husband and I, it was to prepare meals that were best fitted to our needs both physically and mentally but not as a dieting program! Frelii helps each person differently.

After filling out a short questionnaire, each Frelii member is made aware of any potential health hazards and risk factors in their life.

They tailor meal plans, foods, and the entire program to what will help lead to a more balanced life. There is even an option to purchase vitamins and supplements that help your specific needs. As a public health major in college, I appreciate Frelii recommends people get their blood work done before buying vitamins/supplements. It never supports anything in the place of a doctor.

It took about 20 minutes to the complete the survey but when I finished it listed one of my health hazards as mood and depression. It was spot on, as I’ve talked openly about having both anxiety and college through college.

Just as they provide meal plans, Frelii also recommends exercise plans for those who want it. Personally, I have stuck with the meal and recipe side because I do prefer that for running but it’s nice to know it’s out there!

The Meals:

By far my favorite component of Frelii is the meal plans and new recipes they provide. There are a lot of new and fun recipes that I would have never thought twice to try but once they recommended them…I figured might as well!

Another thing, I appreciate about Frelii is how quick meals can be made. I don’t like to spend a lot of time in the kitchen and will also choose healthy, fast options, over the top dinners that take an hour or two to cook. They are simple, easy, and affordable. We could make time to spend an hour or two in the kitchen, we would instead make time for other things.

Here are a few meals we chose to make:

We’ve made several more and Frelii has a database of hundreds so there is something for everyone.

Peanut Pancakes Using Almond flour and Eggs:

Spinach, Kale, and Farmers Quiche

Roasted Cauliflower and Beets.

Before cooking cauliflower, I had one bad experience and never tried cooking it again.

Sausage and Spinach Pasta with Mozzarella

We’ve made several more and it’s been a fun and unique experience. Thank you Frelii for sponsoring this post!

Questions for you:
How long on average do you spend to cook dinner?
If you or your spouse travels or is gone, do you find it difficult to get back into a routine?

Tag: dinner